Share

Macy's is currently at war with Martha Stewart, claiming that she violated her exclusivity deal by negotiating a deal with J.C. Penney. The lawsuit's getting nastier by the day. It turns out that she didn't only screw over department stores and Emeril Lagasse; a clause in her agreement with J.C. Penney listed her competitors and prohibited the store from doing any business with them. It reads: "Competitive Product means any product ... associated with Oprah Winfrey, Ina Garten (including Barefoot Contessa), The Food Network, Real Simple, Better Homes and Gardens, epicurious.com or Rosie O’Donnell ... Neither JCP nor any of its Affiliates shall manufacture, market, promote, sell or distribute any Competitive Product."

The Post claims that this is a conniving move because these are Stewart's "pals": O'Donnell went to her trial; Winfrey interviewed her post-jail; and Stewart wrote the introduction to Garten's debut book. But is this a domesticated version of Mean Girls, or simply a smart business agreement? Doubtful that these women are actually besties who swap recipes, tweet each other's Pinterest boards, and send homemade jam in mason jars as birthday presents.